Frozen Coconut

Frozen grated coconut is the white flesh of mature coconuts, scraped fine and frozen straight away so it keeps the sweetness and moisture of a freshly cracked nut. In Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa and Sri Lanka grated coconut, called thengai, thenga or pol, is the base of daily cooking: ground into coconut chutney for idli and dosa, mixed into pol sambol, folded through a thoran or poriyal, and blended with spices into the gravy of a curry. Coconut slices and chips are also frozen for curries, snacks and sweets.

Frozen coconut is very different from desiccated coconut, which is dried and has lost most of its water and fat. For a smooth coconut chutney or a fresh sambol, frozen is closer to the real thing. Choose finely grated coconut for chutney and sambol, and larger slices or pieces for curries, meat dishes and sweets such as coconut burfi and laddu.

For chutney, thaw the coconut for a few minutes and grind it with green chilli, roasted gram and salt, then pour a tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves over the top. For thoran, add it straight from frozen at the end of cooking. Break off only what you need and keep the rest sealed at -18°C. Ready made coconut sambol and coconut milk round out the coconut cupboard. More frozen produce is in frozen vegetables and the full frozen vegetables and coconut section.